After two wins last weekend against the University of Toronto and the Royal Military College, the men’s volleyball team clinched first place in the province, guaranteeing them home court advantage and a bye into the semifinals. With a hard fought game against Toronto, the team earned the points
they needed to edge out rivals, the Ryerson Rams, for the top spot in Ontario.
Queen’s and U of T split the first two sets; Queen’s took the first 29-27, and U of T won the second 25-22. As the game continued, Toronto and Queen’s were evenly matched, and the scores for the remaining sets were close in range. Queen’s took the third set 25-21, giving them a chance to put
the game away. In the fourth set, Queen’s came out on top, winning 25-20. “Toronto’s a good team,” setter Devon Miller said. “Their record doesn’t show or give them enough credit.” Miller had 58 assists, 10 digs and one block. Head coach Brenda Willis said there were two Gaels who really stood out against Toronto: power hitter Andrew Bridgeman led the game with an impressive 17 kills and 11 digs, and Dan McCrae racked up 15 kills and seven digs. Having clinched first place, Willis rested her starters and gave the younger players a chance to step up against the RMC Paladins the next night.
The Paladins came out strong, winning the first two sets by two and three points. For the third set, Willis changed her lineup and put veterans back on the court for a much needed confidence boost.
The move paid off, and the scores in the remaining three sets were 25-9, 29-25, 15-6. Willis said the team found a higher “level of urgency” during the final sets, battling back for the win.
Power hitter Jeff DeMeza led the Gaels’ offence with 14 kills, and Stu Hamilton headed up the defence with seven digs. Queen’s playoffs will begin tomorrow in Bartlett Gym when the Gaels host the winner
of tonight’s quarterfinal match between Western and York. Tickets are $4 for students and $6 for adults, and are available at the wicket in the Physical Education Centre.
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to eic@queensjournal.ca.